


Over the Garden Wall

by Anonymous



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Chinguline (EXO), M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 20:02:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14961251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: The floorboards of Aeri’s Haven creaked and the ceilings were home to every crawling thing one could possibly imagine, but the children, although full of mischief, were warm-hearted enough to befriend a strange boy with a secret larger-than-life





	1. The Story Unfolds

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt Code: #140

At the time it existed, the Korean orphanage of Alexandria was nothing short of unliveable.  It measured six stories high: a tower of brick so miserable that it leaned to one side like it was searching for an empty grave in the cemetery next door. The woods to the Eastern side were once teeming with apple trees, but a very peculiar man would eat nearly all of them in attempt to keep himself alive. A river snaked along its backside, leading out the vast Atlantic ocean a few miles down. Boats seldom traveled on it though; the waters were too unpredictable. Along with its pitiful design and location, the orphanage had also been given a terrible misnomer: Aeri's Haven, as if all the appropriate names in the world had been taken.    
  
The floorboards of Aeri’s Haven creaked, the ceilings were home to every crawling thing one could possibly imagine and the water always flowed ice-cold from the rusty taps. The mattresses were either lumpy or stiff as boards, causing most of the children to bundle themselves in quilts like caterpillars wrapped in cocoons. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner had been proudly served in the same fashion since 1968: porridge at six, liver at twelve, and boiled leeks before bed. Heaven forbid anyone ask for sweets; there weren't any.     
  
Now what good is an orphanage without its children? Aeri's Haven had fourteen of them, according to the surviving records. From the very youngest toddler to the eldest who were around seventeen years old, the children were generally well behaved, knowing that the headmistress, Lady Park, would punish them dearly if they stepped out of line. One child who’d spoken with a heavy lisp his entire life had returned from a punishment without it; to this very day, some still believe she had scared it out of him. As a result, a handful of children learned to cover their tracks so well that over the years they formed a secret ring of mischief and mayhem, doing all sorts of devious things.     
  
Three children belonged to this "ring of mischief", and a very unlikely character, would eventually join their gang. Riddled with deadly secrets and perhaps even a bit of magic, this is the strange tale of how fate brought four orphans together, only to tear them apart, forever.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Aeri's Haven Orphanage**

**Alexandria City, Somewhere**

**1995 June 17**

 

“New Arrival!” Shouted a young voice, disturbing the silent hallways of the Eastern Girl’s Wing. 

 

Eleven-year-old Kang Seulbi had very important news to share with her elder sister, and she would stop at nothing to deliver it. She paused, nearly out of breath, before a wooden door marked by the words “The Red Room”. The surface around the name, painted a ghastly red, was littered with signs reading  “keep out” and “trespassers will be executed”. 

 

Three girls shared the room, one of whom was her elder sister of three years. They let in few girls who lived in the East Wing, and certainly no boys had ever received permission to enter. Only one boy from the West Wing had ever dared and he still had quite the scar to show for it.  

 

“New Arrival!”

 

A few curious heads poked from their dorms, eager to catch the first happenings of the day, but they quickly retreated when the cluttered door swung open to pull Seulbi inside. 

 

The interior of the famous Red Room never ceased to amaze Seulbi. The floors were dotted with black clothing, all sorts of paper and wood models hung from the ceiling along with peculiar dolls the girls had collected over time littering every corner. Nearly everything, with the exception of the walls was colored either pink, red, or black. As a result, the younger children liked to believe that the five were witches that used magic to create all of their colorful belongings, but in reality, the girls simply liked to pick up old toys from the local sellers.

 

Seulbi turned to her sister’s roommate, Irene, her heart full of admiration for the older girl. The seventeen-year old sat cross-legged, appearing more like a forest nymph than a witch, as a pigeon she had trained rested on her finger. Another tenant of the room, Joy, rested casually against her thigh, rambling about the happenings of her day. 

 

“What brings you here at this time, Kiddo? It's one a.m., you should be sleeping,” Seulgi called down from the highest bunk, finally acknowledging her younger sister’s arrival. 

 

“I came to tell you about the new kid! I was in front of Lady Park’s office and in walks this guy; he’s got these huge eyes and he’s kinda bald and-”

 

“Oh great, another pig-headed boy for us to chase out of our room,” Joy said. She crossed her arms and glared at Seulbi for bringing the untimely news. 

 

“How much did you find out about him?” Seulgi asked.

 

“Well, there was a man with him, but the two of them didn’t look anything alike. He was so tall with a funny-looking hat. He kept promising to come back for the kid later,  something about ‘the time being right’, whatever that means.”

 

“We all know that means he ain’t coming back,” Joy mumbled sleepily.  

 

“He probably won’t, but the kid wouldn’t let go of his hand. He kept begging the man to ‘take him along too’. It was the longest goodbye I’ve ever seen.”

 

Joy clicked her tongue, “Clingy much?” She mumbled. 

 

“I think I’ll pay our new guest a visit, you know, give him the rookie welcome,” Seulgi said, her voice dripping with mischief. She was definitely up to something; Irene could practically see the gears of her mind turning. 

 

“Good luck getting past Baekhyun. If you’re the queen around here, that moron is the king of the Boy’s Wing,” Joy said. 

 

Seulgi pulled on a long coat and laced her combat boots to the very last buckle. She threw open the shutters of a wide window and poked her head outside; a warm wind sent showers of rain flying into the room. Joy cried out in frustration as water drenched her neat hair, but Seulgi paid little attention to the girl. Her eyes transfixed upon something against the backdrop of the  midnight sky: a large bird, unlike she’d ever seen before was circling the rooftop. Upon sight of her, the bird swooped down and she caught a glimpse of its large, golden eyes before it dashed for the sky once again and disappeared from sight. Seulgi craned her neck to gain a closer look at the roof of the building and a smirk formed at the corner of her lips as soon as she spotted the silhouette of a tall boy with wild hair.

“You know what ladies? I haven’t gotten into trouble in a while. This is the perfect night to change that,” she said, slipping quietly through the window.    

 

  ~

 

“How many times do we have to tell you to stay out of our shit?” Baekhyun growled, shoving a short boy against a mound of crumbled bricks. His fingers pushed back the wet strands of hair from his face, revealing two eyes burning with anger. His small, pink mouth twisted, casting a dark shadow over his otherwise soft features. 

 

“ _ Baek,  _ let him go. He’s just an idiot. No use killing him over a few cigarettes,” Chanyeol said. At sixteen years old, he was one of Baekhyun’s closest friends and also his partner in crime. 

 

Baekhyun grabbed the boy’s collar, pulling him to eye level, “Forget the damn cigarettes, this rat told her everything; the beer in Jongdae’s trunk, the spiked punch at Joy’s birthday party last week.”

 

Jongdae shrugged, “If Lady Park takes our stash, I can always find a way to get more,” he replied smugly. (Also sixteen years old, Jongdae was no more or less of a troublemaker than Baekhyun, and the two were never far apart, wreaking havoc). 

 

It hadn’t taken very long for Baekhyun and his small gang to find Kim Junmyeon and drag him to the rooftop after the Lady had confiscated their “secret stash”. Not only had Baekhyun taken a blow to his pride, but the woman had boxed his ears something awful. Even now, they were still glowing bright red against his pale skin. 

 

“Hey guys, help me up!” A shrill voice called from below. Chanyeol ran to the edge of the rooftop and dipped his head to search for the source of the noise and, sure enough, he found it.

 

“Seulgi! What the hell are you doing up here?”

 

She waved an arm frantically and he grasped it to help her over the railing separating the rooftop from a balcony located just below it. 

 

“Okay, where’s the egghead boy?”

 

Baekhyun scowled, “What are you talking about?” He eyed the orange-haired girl before him, irritation scratching at the back of his throat. He didn’t like the way she looked at him; as if he  was the dumbest person she had ever come across. 

 

“Some  _ king _ you are,” she scoffed, repeating the nickname Joy had given him earlier. “There’s a new arrival at the orphanage, didn't you hear?”

 

Jongdae looked genuinely puzzled as he scratched his head, “A new kid? So, why’d you call him an egghead?”

 

“Seulbi said his head is shaped like an egg, that’s why,”

 

Baekhyun suddenly grabbed Seulgi’s arm, yanking her to his side, “Since when do you care about the new arrivals? Stop spying on us and go back to your room,” he hissed.

 

In spite of his strong grip, she effortlessly broke away. 

 

“Don’t forget who gave you  _ that _ ,” she said, jabbing a finger against a long scar just below his collarbone. “You don’t scare me, Byun Baekhyun. We practically grew up together.”

 

As the two of them burned holes into each other's eyes, a loud bang sounded from the metal door leading up to the rooftop. The small group of children jumped in alarm and Junmyeon, who had been crouched on the ground, took the opportunity to quickly scuttle away. 

 

A tall, tan-skinned boy who went by the name of Jongin came dashing towards them, bearing a large grin on his face. 

 

“You guys should come see the new kid!” He panted, clearly out of breath after scaling six flights of stairs. 

 

Baekhyun exchanged a look of bewilderment with Seulgi before Chanyeol burst forward with a shout of excitement. 

 

“Last one down is a rotten egg!” He exclaimed, dragging Jongdae with him. 

 

Seulgi chased after them, lunging forward to grab the sleeve of Chanyeol’s sweater to keep up with his long strides. Their wild chatter could be heard echoing through the walls as they descended the staircase at lightning speed. Jongin, a very discreet Junmyeon, and finally Baekhyun were the last ones to follow.  

 

Six flights later, the children shook out their boots and slowly entered the boy's room of the Western Wing. It was sparsely decorated with a total of twenty beds pushed against the wall. The children placed most of their belongings underneath them, including Chanyeol who kept a rugged guitar wrapped in his old baby blanket. A small crowd of orphans who should have been fast asleep in their beds gathered around an unfamiliar boy clutching a suitcase, watching him as if they were under a spell. He was somewhat short with a pleasant face and large eyes that seemed to glow. His dark hair was shaved close to his scalp, but one could tell it hadn't been cut in a while and was in the process of growing back. 

 

“Well the part about him being an egghead was right,” Jongdae mumbled. 

 

Beside him, Seulgi shook her head in disagreement, “I think he's adorable,” she whispered. 

.

Chanyeol impulsively cupped his hands around his mouth, “Hey kid, what's your name?” He called out.

 

The boy focused on him for a moment and then tapped the front of his suitcase, indicating the blocky script across the leather. Jongdae moved forward to gain a closer look and turned back to the eagerly awaiting children. 

 

“His name is Kyungsoo.” 


	2. Over the Garden Wall

**Part I:** **1995 July 4**

 

Kyungsoo blended into the well-oiled machine of Aeri’s Haven quite well. Within weeks, he became known as the “boy who never talks”, and he drew comfort from the fact that most of the children left him alone, aside from the occasional kid shining flashlights into his ears at midnight to “study” him. A handful of girls from the East Wing tried their best to befriend them, but his penchant for cold, hard glares drove them away as quickly as they had begun to show interest in him. A few times he had been assigned to chores with Chanyeol and Jongdae, and while he appreciated their humor and antics, his relationship with them never extended beyond the teamwork required of their housekeeping. The only child he had truly warmed up to happened to be one of the most popular in the entire orphanage: the troublemaking king himself: Baekhyun. In spite of their vastly different personalities, Kyungsoo found himself tagging along as the boy conducted all sorts of mischief, such as gluing shoes to the floor and replacing Lady Park’s instant coffee with potting soil. At first Baekhyun had disliked having the new kid tag along like a shadow, but after some time he began to take pride in the fact that his following at Aeri’s Haven was growing. And besides, Kyungsoo never made a sound, never showed any emotions, and most of all, he was  _ never  _ any trouble. There was no harm in keep him around, right?    

 

Or so he thought.

 

It was the end of his first month at Aeri’s Haven, and Kyungsoo was awake before sunrise, shouting at the top of his lungs, for the very first time. He stood at the top of the West Wing balcony, where he was sure no one would look for him, but he had sadly overestimated the soundproof quality of the orphanage windows. Jongdae had been the first one to lift his head at the commotion since he slept next to a broken window panel,  but he had just as quickly blocked his ears with a pillow and nodded off when he realized it was only the new kid, probably blowing off steam after thirty days of Lady Park’s incessant rules and their prison diet.

 

“Wake up!” A voice hissed. Baekhyun, who had been fast asleep, tumbled out of bed as he received a heavy blow from a pillow scribbled with the name “Chanyeol”. 

 

Baekhyun scowled up at the giant boy hovering over his bed, “I don't care if we're best friends; when I get up, it’s over for you,” he mumbled. 

 

Chanyeol waved his hand carelessly, “You can worry about the details of my murder later. Look outside first,” he said, impatiently. 

 

Baekhyun pushed the curtain of hair from his eyes and trudged to the window beside his cot. His jaw dropped when he realized what had stirred Chanyeol so early in the morning. Less than ten meters away, Kyungsoo was teetering back and forth on a thin balcony railing, his left arm stretched towards the dark sky. 

 

“What the hell is he doing?” 

 

Chanyeol could offer only a shrug behind him.“I would go out there and ask him, but he never talks. I feel like he’s just going to stare at me like I’m some creep,” he replied.

 

“Well, cleary he's got a few screws loose,” Baekhyun mumbled, drawing little circles in the space next to his forehead. 

 

“Go talk to him, Baek. We don't want him to fall from there.” 

 

“Since when do you care? You just want me to find out why he's acting like a nutjob.” 

 

Chanyeol failed miserably to hide his toothy grin.

 

“Fine, I’ll go, but you owe me one of those candies you've been stealing from the market lady,” Baekhyun said, throwing a t-shirt over his head and climbing through the open window. 

 

Outside, he took in a deep breath and, at once, he was met by the scent of petrichor hanging in the breeze. The sun had yet to peek over the horizon, making the sky a deep indigo color with streaks of pink dripping from behind the clouds. In awe of it all, Baekhyun wondered whether his hometown had always been so beautiful. A part of him was almost sad for having missed it all along. 

 

“Hey Egghead! He exclaimed, breaking out of his trance, “if you're looking for a way out of here, that sure as hell isn't the way to make it out alive!” 

 

Kyungsoo lowered his arm and glanced down at Baekhyun with a serious expression that startled the boy. A gust of wind blew his baggy clothing dramatically as he suddenly leapt from the railing with cat-like agility. 

 

“Uh-yeah, you should know by now that the balcony isn't all that safe. Y-you could fall,” Baekhyun mumbled, backing away slowly. 

 

He expected the boy to ignore his pathetic warning but he nodded instead. Taking Baekhyun by the arm, he gently tugged him to the railing he had been standing on and pointed up. At first Baekhyun saw nothing in the sky, but only moments later, a bird, speckled white and brown with a sharp, curved beak swooped down. Baekhyun let out a small yelp as a row of feathers brushed the top of his disheveled head. 

 

“That bird looks like it could rip our throats out if it really wanted to,” he said. 

 

Kyungsoo shook his head calmly, and whistled; two low notes and a shrill third one. The bird flapping just overhead screeched and then settled on his outstretched arm as if it was the most natural thing to do. 

 

“How’d you get it to do that?” Baekhyun asked. 

 

To his annoyance, he received no answer or even a sign of acknowledgement as Kyungsoo focused entirely on the creature. Baekhyun began to wonder why the boy wouldn’t speak to him. In fact, he hadn’t uttered a word to anyone since his arrival at the orphanage, giving everyone a very good reason to believe that perhaps he couldn't speak at all.  

 

“Look, I know I’m not that exciting to be around but can’t you say anything? I’ll even take a ‘morning Baekhyun’ at this point.”

 

Kyungsoo sighed. He looked reluctant as he studied the boy’s soft features, trying to piece together the contradiction in his rough manner of speech. He decided in the end to maintain his silence, relaxing his features so that he could appear less serious and more at peace with himself and his surroundings. He stretched out his arm once again, this time towards Baekhyun, and the bird flapped over to the other boy’s shoulder. 

 

“It’s not going to peck my eyes out is it?” Baekhyun said, alarmed by the creature.  

Kyungsoo shook his head from side to side like a wind-up toy.

 

“Is this why you were shouting earlier? Were you trying to call this thing down?”

 

Kyungsoo nodded.

 

“So that’s it; you only talk to birds.,” Baekhyun replied, “ I knew there was something weird about you from day one. But you should speak to humans too, you know. Tell us what’s on your mind from time to time. But not all the time because then I’d have to punch you in the face for being a f*cking baby.”

 

Kyungsoo let out a small sigh of understanding and Baekhyun immediately felt a small wave of relief. Perhaps he had a soul after all. 

 

The boys spent hours on the balcony with Kyungsoo’s strange pet nestled between the two of them. Baekhyun, being the nosy character that he was, took the opportunity to unearth a few things about him. He learned that Kyungsoo was (probably) seventeen years old like himself, and that unlike the rest of the orphans at Aeri’s Haven, he wasn’t from New York, (Baekhyun wasn’t sure where on earth he was from because nodding in response to ‘yes or no’ questions can’t give you information like that). He also learned that Kyungsoo was not a fan of candy or cigarettes, and he wasn't really interested in joining Baekhyun for his annual prank on the girls of the East Wing, but he was more than happy to tag along to keep watch for Lady Park. 

 

When he finally grew tired of their one-sided conversation, Baekhyun fell silent, leaning against the balcony railing with a with a dull expression on his face. Kyungsoo, not wanting to lose what little friendship he possessed, gazed at him expectantly and pointed a  finger at his chest. 

“You want to know about me?” Baekhyun asked. 

 

Kyungsoo nodded.

 

Baekhyun scratched the back of his head in thought. It was only the second time in his entire life that someone had asked. (The first time it had been a police officer after he and Chanyeol had been caught loitering near a broken vending machine with a backpack full of snacks.)

 

“There isn’t much to me...I’ve been at this orphanage longer than any of the other kids, except Seulgi; she's probably been here since the first bricks were laid. Uh...I don’t remember my parents at all; I overheard Lady Park say they were ‘good for nothing’, whatever that means. And..let’s see, I’ve got two friends: Jongdae- he’s the curly-top with the Cheshire smile you saw yesterday and Chanyeol, that giant kid with the floppy ears.If you stick around long enough, who knows, we might just let you join the gang,” he said with a wink.  

 

It wasn’t clear whether Kyungsoo appreciated his simple offer of friendship or not. A blank expression clouded his face, as though he’d lost something of great importance, but couldn’t remember what it was or where he’d misplaced it. Tension bubbled under the surface of his calm temperament and although Baekhyun had no  clue what it was, he could sense that something was not quite right. 

 

Determined to break the ice between them, he brushed his fingers against the bird’s wing, stroking each feather gently, “I know talking isn’t really your thing but at least tell me if this thing’s got a name so I can start guessing,” he said. 

 

To his surprise, a very calm voice, barely above a whisper replied:  _ “You're holding a falcon named Sokar, Baekhyun.”  _

 

Those were the last words Kyungsoo would speak all morning in spite of how much he pleaded. In the end, Baekhyun felt special. He had been the first person to gain the strange boy’s trust, and although it had taken a month, somehow he knew it was a very important step in the right direction. 

 

**Part II**

 

“Ready, aim, fire!” Chanyeol exclaimed as his spoon catapult was pulled back and a slimy glob of porridge went sailing. Moments later a scream penetrated the air as Joy shot up, sticky rice and anchovy bits sliding down her forehead. Chanyeol immediately ducked his head and shoved his spoon into his mouth to keep from looking suspicious. Last time, he had pulled a very similar prank on Seulgi and the girl had dragged him out to the graveyard next door and abandoned him there with the creepy funeral director. 

 

When it seemed like the coast was clear, he raised his head triumphantly, sharing a fist-bump with Jongdae and a high-five with Baekhyun. His celebration, however, would be tragically short lived.

 

“What the f-” he exclaimed, feeling a sharp tug at the back of his neck. 

 

“Finish that sentence and I'll make you scrub  this entire house with your toothbrush,” Lady Park hissed. 

 

Chanyeol muttered a string of curses under his breath. A puppy-like frown weighed down his features as his mother dragged him by the hood of his sweater to the end of the dining hall. Not only had he been embarrassed in front of his friends, but he was certain he'd seen Seulgi poke her tongue at him when he passed the row of girls’ tables. 

 

“Good Morning everyone, I have very exciting news to share with you all,” Lady Park said, tightening her grip on Chanyeol’s hood to prevent him from scuttling away. “As I was saying, one month ago we received a new child at the orphanage,” she pointed towards Kyungsoo who looked quite red in the face at the attention he was receiving, “And now for the exciting part: I was reading the journal entries you children wrote for Lecture Time, and I learned that he is quite the baker, so I’ve decided, for the first time in the history of Aeri’s Haven, to begin serving dessert. Isn’t that just delightful?”

 

A cheer went up across the dining hall as boys and girls celebrated the news. Most of them had never tried a single dessert and were looking forward to the change. A diet of porridge, liver, and leeks certainly helps children grow, but it isn't necessarily a pleasant way to eat 365 days a year. 

 

“Yes, and tonight we're having a pie, so I will need volunteers to go into the woods and collect apples. Who can I count on?” she said, scanning the crowd of children seated before her. 

 

No one said a word or moved a muscle for fear of catching her eye. Aeri’s Haven was surrounded by miles of forest, a rather dark, sinister-looking forest that the children stayed far away from. A rumor concerning it had stuck with them all like glue: a serial killer built his hideout there many years ago, and ever since then, people who went into the woods seldom came back. 

 

“Not a single volunteer?” Lady Park asked, growing impatient with both Chanyeol squirming in her grasp and the lack of support for her brilliant idea. “Alright then, I’m sending Chanyeol. And Jongdae, you can go with him since you also think it’s funny to throw your breakfast at my girls.” 

 

“Aw come on, why me?” Chanyeol grumbled. 

 

“I need you to show Kyungsoo where the apple trees are so he can pick the best ones for tonight,” Lady Park said. 

 

“And what if something happens out there?”

 

“What could possibly happen? Those woods are home to nothing but a few birds and the occasional beaver.”

 

“I don't know! There's creeps out there,” Chanyeol finished hesitantly. “ Are you really willing to risk your only son’s life for pie?”

 

Lady Park shrugged, “I’ve got lots of children to replace you right here. I’d stop missing you eventually.”

 

~

 

Jongdae wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead with a sigh of exasperation. After circling the woods nearly three times over, they hadn't found a single apple; someone, (or possibly even something), had taken every last one of them. He glanced to his left at Kyungsoo, who seemed to be considering some very important matter beyond a case of missing apples. In fact, he looked very worried, but Jongdae knew better than to ask the quiet boy what was on his mind. 

 

“Where are the f*cking apples?” Chanyeol grumbled. 

 

Jongdae scratched his head in frustration, “There must be a lot of bears around here…” he suggested. 

 

Chanyeol kicked the ground, sending a cloud of dirt into the air. He raised his shoe to dust it off and noticed a glob of brown oozing from the tip of his shoelaces. Wrinkling his nose, he glanced ahead at the grass and shrubs before him, noticing similar globs of mush and even a trail of tear-shaped seeds. 

 

“Looks like we've got a mystery on our hands,” he said, pointing to the trail. 

 

“Seriously? Can't we just take some of those berries over there and call it a day. My legs are on fire,” Jongdae said. 

 

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened at the suggestion. He knew very well that the berries Jongdae had pointed to were deadly. He hoped the two boys would realize on their own; otherwise he'd have to speak up again, and Baekhyun had already forced an entire sentence out of him earlier. 

 

“No, you idiot! Aren't those lampshade berries or something? They're poisonous,” Chanyeol said. 

 

“And how would you know? They look fine to me!” 

 

_ Nightshade is very poisonous,  _ Kyungsoo thought to himself.

 

As the two boys continued to argue, their bickering caught the attention of someone who had been roaming the very same woods. Without a single word, a man of towering height approached them, tossing a bright red apple from one hand to another. He was so tall that even Chanyeol began to feel somewhat small and Jongdae could only gaze up at him in fascination. 

 

“W-who are you?” Chanyeol asked, suddenly remembering the warning he'd given his mother. Perhaps the rumor about the woods was true after all. It certainly looked like any other plot of land and trees, but it could easily have been a hideout as well. 

 

“Ryo Matsuyama, archaeologist and mysticism and magic expert, at your service,” he said, bowing dramatically. 

 

“Right, and I'm the President. Now will you tell us what happened to all the apples? You have to know something,” Jongdae said, gesturing at the fruit in his hands. 

 

“Obviously I'm eating them to keep myself alive out here,” The man said. 

 

“Why are you out here? Are you one of those serial killers everyone's always spooking us about?” Chanyeol asked. 

 

“Do I look like a criminal to you? Such a big head and your brain works like that... I'm an archaeologist, remember? I'm here because I've misplaced something important, and your little friend over there knows exactly where I can find it,” Ryo said, pointing a finger in Kyungsoo's direction, “you have guilty written all over your face Kiddo; where's the falcon?” 

 

Kyungsoo shrugged. 

 

“Don't make me force it out of you,” Ryo said, his threat sounding more like an endearment as he suddenly pulled the boy into a tight embrace. He stroked Kyungsoo's hair affectionately, rocking him from side to side like an overbearing relative. At first the boy refused to budge, but slowly his arms reached around the tall man and he buried his face into his chest. 

 

Chanyeol and Jongdae gaped at the two of them in utter confusion. Either Kyungsoo was as delusional as he was quiet, or he and the stranger shared a history before his arrival at Aeri’s Haven. They simply had to know. 

 

Chanyeol cleared his throat obnoxiously “Uh, you two know each other or something?” He asked, his fists curling tightly. He was genuinely prepared to fight the tall stranger if Kyungsoo so much as flinched. 

 

“Well yeah, he's my son!” Ryo said, resting his arm on the boy's shoulder. 

 

Kyungsoo harshly elbowed his side in response. 

 

“Any f*cking reason you dumped your son at an orphanage and decided to camp out in the woods?” Jongdae asked. Kyungsoo was startled by the amount of concern in his voice, in spite of his agitation. 

 

Ryo sighed, “It was for the best, trust me. He understands. And if you kids want apples, go into town and buy some,” he said, fishing a handful of crumpled bills from his coat pocket and handing them to Chanyeol. 

 

He then bent down, placing his hands on Kyungsoo's shoulders, “If you find Sokar, let me know. We've wasted enough time, Kiddo.” 

 

Kyungsoo nodded obediently, but a part of him felt guilty for hiding the truth from Ryo. He parted his lips, ever so slightly, to say something, but shut them again and forced himself to smile.  For the time being, he wanted to keep the falcon’s whereabouts hidden, and it had worked almost perfectly until Baekhyun had stumbled upon his secret. Now it seemed Chanyeol and Jongdae were somehow involved as well. 

 

He had two choices: tell the children the bizarre truth, or figure things out on his own like always. Once upon a time, the latter had been the most obvious choice, but for the first time in a very long time, Kyungsoo felt an urge to reach out to someone else who could possibly understand or just quietly accept his bizarre predicament. 

 

Baekhyun’s words from earlier buzzed incessantly in his ears:  _ “But you should speak to humans too, you know. Tell us what’s on your mind from time to time.”  _

 

Impulsively, he grabbed Chanyeol’s arm with one hand and Jongdae’s with the other and pulled them back onto the trail they had followed into the woods. 

 

“Are we going to buy apples then?” Chanyeol asked, bewildered. 

 

“What about that cree- I mean your dad?” Jongdae said. 

 

Kyungsoo glanced over his shoulder, only to notice that Ryo was staring intently at the sky above the forest clearing, once again on his quest to find the “missing” falcon. 

 

There would be plenty of time later for a  reunion. He was sure of it. 


	3. Of Grim Reapers and Magic

**1995 July 7**

 

As a small team of children worked, the entire kitchen of Aeri’s Haven overflowed with the smell of spices and freshly cored apples. With the money Ryo Matsuyama had placed in Chanyeol’s hand some days ago, the three children had purchased a number of ingredients that had never before graced the orphanage cupboards. They now owned items like cinnamon, nutmeg, and jars teeming with sugar. The refrigerator, which had always been stocked full of frozen liver was even guarding a cold, sweet surprise for the very first time, thanks to Kyungsoo insisting that pie was best served with ice cream. Jongdae, Chanyeol, and Baekhyun seemed to be enjoying their duties as kitchen hands, licking sweet residue from spoons and mixing bowls when Kyungsoo was not looking. Even Seulgi had poked her head into the kitchen to scope the lively scene. Despite being pelted with flour by three boys furious that a girl from the East Wing would only “ruin the fun”, she stayed behind to watch the oven timer with Kyungsoo, and left to boast about her hand in baking when the pie was finished. 

 

When the entire kitchen had been scrubbed from top to bottom, Chanyeol wiped the sugar from his forehead and lifted himself onto the wooden kitchen counter to rest, “Okay it time for you to talk  _ Egghead _ ,” he said, turning to Kyungsoo with a mischievous grin, “you can start by explaining what the hell you're doing here while your dad is playing red riding hood in the woods.” 

 

“Dad? So you're not an orphan?” Baekhyun asked.  

 

“Yeah, we ran into him a few days ago. A total weirdo- no offense,” Jongdae said. 

 

_ “None taken, he isn't really my dad,”  _ Kyungsoo replied softly. 

 

“Damn it, you can speak! There goes my entire comic book collection,” Jongdae replied, mulling over the bet he had made with Chanyeol several weeks ago. 

 

“Well, he seems pretty convinced that he's family...” Chanyeol mumbled. 

 

_ “He was my mother's assistant since before I was even born; we used to joke around all the time that he stuck around longer than my actual father.”  _

 

“What kind of assistant?” Baekhyun asked, suddenly intrigued by the conversation. He would never have admitted it, but he was almost jealous of Kyungsoo; he had a sense of identity, a family even. Baekhyun possessed none of those things. His memory stretched only as far back as playing with Seulgi and Chanyeol in the empty orphanage years ago. 

 

_ “She was an archaeologist. I used to sleep in one city and wake up in another the next morning. My mom was the bravest person I'd ever known. She never took ‘no’ for an answer. She always used to say that a locked door was enough of an excuse to search for the key.”  _

 

“Where is she now?” Jongdae asked. 

 

_ “Eight months ago we were in Egypt during a huge excavation. A team of really important archaeologists were searching for a tomb literally called “the Pharaohs Paradise”; but Mom was against it. She always believed the place was cursed and tried to protest the entire thing.” _

 

“You think the place was actually cursed?” Baekhyun asked, he was beginning to feel skeptical of the story. 

 

_ “No one believed her; not even Ryo Hyung. They fought over it one night and she just disappeared. The next morning the entire digging site was completely buried in sand and they found her bracelet in one of the dunes. No body.”  _

 

The kitchen grew silent as the boys looked at one another, each one thinking a similar pair of thoughts. They liked Kyungsoo but there were many parts of his account that sounded more fact than fiction. 

 

“ _ You don't have to believe me,”  _ Kyungsoo said, picking at the hem of his shirt,  _ “just please hear me out.” _

 

“I mean, that’s kinda what we're doing right now,” Jongdae said, matter-of-factly. 

 

_ “I didn't know what to do when she disappeared. It was like someone had knocked the air out of my lungs. Ryo Hyung wasn't the same after it happened; he spent days in her office, going through research until he came back, excited about something. It was the first time in ten days that I'd seen a smile on his face.” _

 

“What did he find?” Baekhyun asked. 

 

_ “He found a falcon named Sokar in her Guide to Monsters. It's strange because he first appeared on the day my mother went missing, circling the digging site over and over, but we thought he was just a bird. Ryo Hyung read me something about falcons being an omen; he's kind of like an Egyptian grim reaper.”  _

 

Chanyeol sighed, “So that guy we saw earlier is out in the woods, looking for a bird that takes people to the underworld?” he said. The words felt almost silly coming out of his mouth but he tried to maintain a serious face. 

 

“ _ He's not just a bird,”  _ Kyungsoo protested, 

making his way to the kitchen window to push it open. The rest of the children slowly gathered around him, Baekhyun standing anxiously behind him, and Chanyeol and Jongdae electing to sit at the kitchen table. He whistled loudly and a falcon swooped into the kitchen. It landed gracefully in front of Chanyeol, causing him to punch Jongdae's arm in amusement. 

 

_ “Show them.”  _

 

The bird gazed at Kyungsoo for a moment and then flapped its long wings, creating ripples as it lifted into the air. A strange chill enveloped the room when it descended again on the table, but it lasted only a fraction of a second and the temperature returned to normal. 

 

“Holy shit..” Jongdae mumbled, squinting at the wood in front of him. One red symbol glowing brighter than a city traffic light had been scratched onto the surface and the falcon was tapping it with one of its sharp claws. 

 

“What's that?” Chanyeol asked, his eyes wide as dinner plates. 

 

_ “Hieroglyphs. He was just carving his name.”  _

Baekhyun ran his fingers along the wooden table, mumbling something about the world being full of creepy things.  

 

“ _ Do you believe me now?”   _ Kyungsoo said. 

 

_ “ _ Don't think we really have a choice anymore. I just can't believe you were telling the truth...” he replied. 

 

Jongdae shook his head, “This makes me wonder just how much of that stuff adults call ‘make believe’ is actually true. Maybe there really is an old fat guy out there in the North Pole.” 

 

“I can assure you Santa isn’t any more real than the Easter Bunny,” a familiar voice said. 

 

The children jumped at the sight of Ryo Matsuyama climbing through the open window. He flashed a smile in Kyungsoo’s direction and ruffled the mop of hair on Chanyeol’s head. 

 

“Care to explain why you lied to me, Kyungsoo?”

 

_ “I-I just wanted to find her on my own. You said you wouldn’t chase after her.” _

 

Ryo sighed, “It’s not what your mother would have wanted, okey? You have to set that bird free. He belongs in the underworld, guarding souls with Osiris. You know as well as I do that one of those souls is hers, resting peacefully, and not worrying all day like the two of us. And besides, no one that’s ever been to the underworld has ever made it back alive and it’s because the world operates a certain way, Kiddo. You disrupt that order and boom- you have chaos.” 

 

_ “What do you mean chaos?” _

 

“Like a real-life, ten thousand times worse than any tv show you’ve ever seen, zombie apocalypse,” Ryo answered gravely.

 

Chanyeol paced back and forth excitedly at the prospect of such a terrifying event. He had watched so many sci-fi movies that his impulsive brain was almost certain he could survive something like a zombie apocalypse. Jongdae felt something more along the lines of dread as he listened intently to the conversation. The day had gone from bad to worse in a matter of hours and all the talk of magic and monsters was making his head spin. 

 

“Then how the heck do we send that thing back to where it belongs?”  Baekhyun asked.

 

Ryo scratched the back of his head, “Well it isn’t all that simple. Sokar needs to return to where we found him-the Pharaohs Paradise that is.”

 

_ “You mean we have to take him all the way back to Egypt? There’s no way I can leave this place without the police arresting you for kidnap,”  _ Kyungsoo mumbled.

 

“He has a point,” Jongdae said. “The laws protecting orphans are pretty strict around here.” 

 

“In that case, we’ll have to travel in secret,” Ryo said with a lopsided grin. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a miniature reed boat, holding it up for the children to see.

 

“I was just guessing before, but now I’m positive this guy is a nutcase,” Jongdae whispered to Chanyeol.

 

“I heard that! And you kids have no imagination, you’re all as good as dead. Do you know how much magic there is in the world? You’re missing every last ounce of it!” Ryo exclaimed. He rushed to the window and gestured at the black river just beyond the orphanage grounds, “I’ve already got a boat, now all we need is water; and would you look at that: an entire river leading to the ocean!”  

 

~

 

With Sokar resting peacefully on his shoulder, Baekhyun trekked through cattails and long riverside grasses with a strange heaviness in his heart. Kyungsoo was leaving, possibly for good. Although a part of him was skeptical as to whether Ryo Matsuyama’s boat would actually carry him and Kyungsoo all the way to the banks of Egypt, another part of him had encountered so many strange things that nothing felt impossible. In a short period of time, Kyungsoo had shown him that the world, even if it was marked by suffering, could be full of magic and wonder as well. The two coexisted in unexplainable harmony, much like himself, Jongdae, Chanyeol, and even Kyungsoo.  

 

As he moped around, Baekhyun’s thoughts were suddenly broken by a very animated Ryo Matsuyama, rambling about toys: “You ever throw one of those cheap pellets into a bucket of water and voila! It turns into a mini sponge dinosaur?” He asked.

 

Three of the children stared at him blankly while Kyungsoo shook his head.

 

“Okay...I guess not. Well, this boat is like those spongy dinosaurs, only way more powerful,” he said, tossing the figurine into the river. “Watch this.”

 

For a good thirty minutes, absolutely nothing happened. Baekhyun and Chanyeol watched the face of the water in anticipation as Jongdae snored away beside the riverbend. Kyungsoo was caught between fretting over leaving his only friends behind and the useless boat. Then suddenly, without warning, the reed boat began to grow in size, stretching upwards and outwards until it was several meters long. Ryo cheered loudly at the sight of his first successful attempt at Egyptian magic, his heart racing at the prospects of a future spent cultivating as much power and knowledge as humanly possible. Jongdae awoke immediately, a string of curses flying out of his mouth as he realized that another one of his doubts had been proven useless. 

 

With a leap, Ryo climbed into the boat, causing it to rock gently, but it stayed majestically afloat. 

He turned back with a smile, gesturing for Kyungsoo to climb onboard, “Come on, we’ve got a long way to go.” 

 

Baekhyun reluctantly lowered the falcon on his shoulder to the ground. His gaze remained on the dirt caking his sneakers as Kyungsoo retrieved Sokar and took a few hesitant steps towards the giant vessel. 

 

“Be safe out there, okay? The rest of the world isn’t as nice as we are,” Baekhyun blurted. 

 

“And since you own a whole magic boat, you’d better come back and visit someday,” Chanyeol said. Jongdae nodded solemnly in agreement from his position on the ground. 

 

Hearing their kind words stirred something in Kyungsoo that had been dormant for a very long time, and he smiled brightly. He turned back to the children and bowed in response, hoping that it was enough to express his gratitude, especially to Baekhyun. Little did Kyungsoo know that he had grown well accustomed to his simple ways, and expected nothing more.  

 

Even after they had sailed far, far away, Kyungsoo remained at back of the boat alone, watching as the waves crashed against the tightly woven reeds, washing away the loose soils of Alexandria city clinging dearly to its surface. He marveled at the stars hanging overhead. A group of constellations indicated that they were heading towards an Eastward destination, as he had learned to read from a star map his mother had shown him years ago. A simple melody rose from his lips, only to be swallowed by a strong gust of wind:

 

_ Into the light which spreads before us _

 

_ Towards a future that we know not of _

 

_ Every step we take will be legend, _

 

_ A legend in the days to come _

 


End file.
